Rookies February update: Building a training foundation

LACONIA — Swimming, bicycling, running, and transitioning between the three — triathlons ask a lot of participants. But, what’s the hardest part of training? Something more mundane, say the two members of The Laconia Daily Sun’s 2023 Rookie Class. The hardest part is scheduling.

“I can fit it into my schedule easily, if I would just get up early in the morning and do it,” said Jeremy Hart. On days when he hits the snooze button, he finds that his work days fill up quickly, and he then has to find the energy to train at the end of the day.

Lauren Howard, on the other hand, did not find it challenging to begin triathlon training, but that will end soon as her work schedule increases.

Howard and Hart both signed up to be part of this year’s Daily Sun Rookie Academy, a program where two local people who have never completed a triathlon before commit to a local race, and readers follow along for the journey with monthly check-ins. In exchange, local businesses, such as Fit Focus, Bootleggers, MC Cycle and Sport, The Wellness Complex, Tri-Tek Events and Peak Triathlon Coaching offer the materials, support or access to workout space they need. The rookies put in the training which, it turns out, is easier said than done.

But, despite the challenge, both report making good progress so far. Howard, 50, lives in Laconia, is a single mother to four and a registered nurse on her way to becoming a nurse practitioner. Hart is 43, recently relocated from Florida to Gilford, works as a software engineer, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and is married to Julie Hart, The Daily Sun’s editor. Both Howard and Hart are also new grandparents.

Their challenge comes in the form of The Wolf, an Olympic-distance triathlon taking place in Wolfeboro on Saturday, July 29. The event begins with a 0.9-mile swim, followed by a 19.5-mile bike ride and finishes with a 10-kilometer run. It will be an arduous day, but one that Hart and Howard have time to prepare for.

“I guess I’m doing OK. Swimming is still the hardest" part, said Howard, who was inspired after seeing the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Timberman event in Laconia. She was so inspired that she took a few lessons on proper swimming form, and also dusted off a stationary cycle in her home. The experience was part of a general return to exercise after a knee injury.

Hart took up the challenge because he could feel the effects of middle age on his physicality, particularly as he had let the demands of home ownership distract him from what had been a habit of running. He wanted to get back into that habit, and push himself to new challenges, so that he could keep his fitness rather than lose it.

That was his plan, anyway, but that didn’t account for a surprise injury.

“I didn’t actually injure myself doing any training. I injured myself shoveling snow,” Hart said. After a heavy snowfall, he was trying to clear a walkway in a hurry and, in his zeal for a clean sidewalk, he pulled a muscle that runs from his lower back to his hip. “Last couple of weeks have been challenging,” he said, but he’s now back in action.

Coach’s critique

Colin Cook, owner of Peak Triathlon Coaching, is designing a training plan for both Hart and Howard to get them ready for race day. His two charges are rookies for sure, he said, “but I think both seem passionate, enthused about it, ready to tackle the challenge. I’m encouraged with both of them."

The two are coming from different places and need different training plans, Cook said.

“With Lauren, she has some work to do in the water, for sure.” His plan for Howard is front-loaded with pool time, so that she can be as comfortable and confident as possible for the first leg of the event. “Jeremy, not so much, he’s got a lot better swim background,” but then there’s his shoveling injury that required an amended plan. Hart’s initial training plan was mostly stretching for the first couple of weeks.

“Those real-life injuries are unfortunate but we’ve got to deal with them from time to time,” Cook said.

Real-life concerns are reflected in Howard’s training plan as well, particularly the two long days each week she needs to focus solely on her goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.

“Lauren, she’s got a ways to go for sure, but she’s enthusiastic, she’s doing what we’re talking about so far, as long as we can keep the consistency” she will reach her goal, Cook said. “She’s been very forthcoming, she has a demanding work schedule, hard for her to get training in on those days. We respect that and take advantage of the other times.”

Building consistency, building training habits, figuring out scheduling. The first step in turning the rookies into triathletes is for them to figure out how to make training part of their lives. They might not be logging high-mileage days yet, but this phase of training is what will make those days possible later on.

“We’re building the foundation right now, still in the preliminary stages, being conservative, building wisely here so we are ready to pick it up when the weather gets a little nicer and the race is approaching,” Cook said.